My original plan was to write these observations as Monday night’s game was going on, but as with so many other things on my recent trip to Chicago, a number of issues beyond my control intervened.

One of those issues was pressbox internet access.   When you consider that the average worth of an NFL team is $1.02 billion (according to study by Forbes), I don’t think it’s too much to ask for all franchises to have a good (and free) wi-fi network in their respective pressboxes to accomodate the needs of all the people who cover the NFL.    Media exposure and visibility help keep the league’s money-making machine chugging along. 

Still, much like the “labor” negotations that’ll be going on between now and the probable lockout of 2011, there has to be give-and-take.   (However, press box food is non-negotiable.  Downgrade if you must, but provide plenty of it!  Solidarity, my media bretheren!)   So, how about  doing away with paper stats (has to be a cost savings there) and providing up-to-the minute stats via the internet–stats we in the media could access easily if there’s wi-fi available?

But, I digress.   This blog isn’t about my challenges in covering the Green Bay Packers, it’s about the challenges the team faced but could not overcome Monday night in Chicago.

AND ON THE TOPIC OF CHALLENGES
Mike McCarthy wasted one by challenging the officials’ call that Tim Jennings of the Bears was inbounds when he recovered James Jones’ 4th quarter fumble.   That lost timeout would sure have come in handy when Green Bay needed to stop the clock on Chicago’s final drive.  There has to be better communiation between the box and the sideline in those situations.

RIGHT SIDELINE=BALL IN RIGHT HAND
That McCarthy mistake could have been avoided, however, had Jones not coughed up the football–which probably would not have happened had he been carrying the ball in his right hand.  Instead, the ball was in his left, which made it a fairly easy target for onrushing Bears’ linebacker Brian Urlacher.

SPEAKING OF THE SIDELINES
How about aiming a punt toward one of them when Devin Hester is the return man? Or, what about punting it high to force a fair catch?   To me, the turning point of this game came with 2 minutes left in the second quarter, when  Hester returned Tim Masthay’s 35-yard line drive punt 28 yards to the Packers’ 44.   That seemed to jump-start the Bears offense (which had gone three-and-out on its previous posession), and Chicago cashed in on the field position, as Jay Cutler engineered a 4-play TD drive.   Instead of Green Bay taking a 10-0 lead into the locker room, the Bears had made it a game, and it stayed close the rest of the way.

FOOL ME ONCE….
Masthay’s next punt was no line drive, but a beautiful bomb of 57 yards.  Unfortunately, it was a punt straight down the middle of the field, well beyond the Packers punt coverage teams, which gave Hester plenty of time to head back the other way–all the way, 62 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.   Looking at the video, it sure looks like the Bears got away with a hold or two on the return, but regardless…the strategy of punting to Hester completely backfired on the Pack–twice.  

NOT MASTHAY’S PROBLEM, BUT SHAWN SLOCUM’S
If the punter has to be the last line of defense, that’s not saying much for the first few lines of defense.   Someone (anyone) needed to shed a block and make a play on either of the Hester returns, because Masthay’s 50% tackling average will be about as good as it gets this season.  Likewise, Masthay was the holder when Mason Crosby had a field goal blocked…but somehow, Green Bay couldn’t account for Julius Peppers, who wedged himself in between snapper Brad Goode and Josh Sitton to block Crosby’s kick.

SPEAKING OF BLOCKING
Last year, the Packers were able to make some tweaks along the offensive line that helped salvage their season.   Personally, I’m not ready to give up on either Chad Clifton or Mark Tauscher right now, but if they can’t get the job done, they’ll need to be replaced in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.   Struggling to block a stud rusher like Peppers (especially when the Bears know the Packers are going to be passing the ball) is not too surprising–nor are the subsequent holding penalties.  The real head-scratchers were the other penalties each committed: Clifton’s false start and illegal formation penalties, along with Tauscher’s back-to-back false start penalties.  You don’t expect that out of veteran linemen.

RUN TO DAYLIGHT…OR SOMEWHERE…
Neither team was able to run the ball particularly well Monday night.   In fact, Cutler led the Bears with 37 yards on three carries, while Rodgers rushed twice for 20 yards and a touchdown.  Still, the fact remains that with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, Chicago has two backs that are capable of breaking off long gains periodically.   You can’t  say the same thing about Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn–nice guys, good guys, hard workers, but they’re both situational players, and not long-term solutions to the Packers ground struggles.

SERIOUSLY?
As I browsed the internet to read articles about the game, I came across this nugget  in an otherwise well-written piece in the Green Bay Press Gazette:

It’s hard to knock Rodgers, but you’ve got to win the big ones and this was a big one. All the stats and all the wins over teams he should beat are nice, but you’ve got to win big games.

What else should the guy have done?  Prevent McCarthy from throwing his challenge flag?  Block better to help the ground game?   Sign a free agent running back?  Design better punt coverage schemes?  Run down Devin Hester from behind?   Not throw the ball to James Jones to prevent a fumble?  Fix the internet issues in the press box?

If the Packers had squandered their lead in the opener at Philadelphia, I would have been fine with any and all criticism of Rodgers then…but blaming him for the loss to the Bears makes no sense whatsoever. 

CLEAN IT UP
Packers players and coaches claim they’re not an undisciplined team, but 18 penalties is an absurdly high number.   Still, as mind-boggling as it sounds, Green Bay could have won with 16 penalties…take away Frank Zombo’s late hit on Cutler, and the Packers have the ball on the Bears 37 with a 3-point lead and about 6 1/2 minutes left. 

WHAT’S NEXT?
The obvious answer: the Packers will host the Lions, while the Bears will visit the Giants.  For all we know, Green Bay and Chicago could be tied for the division lead again by this time next week.    Or, the Bears could start putting a little more distance between themselves, the Pack, and the pack that is the Vikings and Lions.   Normally, I’m a bottom-line guy (instead of a style points guy) in the week-to-week world that is the NFL, but after the mistake-prone performance at Soldier Field, I’ll be expecting Green Bay to play better in all three phases vs. the Lions. 

If not, there may be a little extra room on that Packers’ Super Bowl bandwagon.

 -BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

Comparing college football to pro football is classic apples-to-oranges…or maybe even something more extreme, like apples-to-bowling balls.   Still, in this state, football fans tend to back both teams.  I know at least one fan (and a few media members, including yours truly) who made treks to both Camp Randall Stadium Saturday as well as Lambeau Field Sunday.

OVERCOMING INJURIES
Both the Badgers and Packers will go forward without a key player.  In Wisconsin’s case, it’s linebacker Chris Borland (a mini-me version of the Packers’ Clay Matthews), while Green Bay will try to figure out its ground game minus Ryan Grant.  The Badgers pool of LB’s is probably better than what the Pack has left at RB, but neither loss should be catastrophic.  Costly, yes, but both teams should be able to win games despite being shorthanded.

BUT IT CAN’T HAPPEN AT QB
If there’s an indispensible player on each of these teams, it’s the quarterbacks.   Scott Tolzien isn’t in the top tier of college quarterbacks, while Aaron Rodgers certainly falls into the top tier category at the NFL level, but both are great fits for what the Badgers and Packers, respectively, are looking to do offensively.  For Tolzien, it’s move the chains by connecting on a lot of intermediate routes–something he’s done well through three games, with a completion percentage of 73.%.  Rodgers has far greater arm strength, and thus, will be asked to throw the deep ball more, but it won’t be a surprise if his current completion percentage (63.3%) goes up as the season goes on.  Each team has backup QB’s, but if the unthinkable happens (a season-ending injury to either Tolzien or Rodgers), the “next man in” philosophy would equate to a “have no chance” at a championship season.

TRY TO COVER THE TIGHT END…GO AHEAD…
Each QB has multiple options as targets, but it’s never a bad play for either team to get the ball to its tight end.   Lance Kendricks (196 yards, 17.8 yds./catch) and Jermichael Finley (150 yards, 18.8 yds./catch) each lead their respective teams in receiving yards.  Finley may be the better receiver, while Kendricks is a beast as a blocker, but both are essential to the passing games of the Packers & Badgers.

MAKING PLAYS
There’s a lot more history to be written in the 2010 seasons of the Badgers and Packers, but if each winds up playing a meaningful game (or in the Green Bay’s case, games) in the postseason, they’ll both be able to look back at some key turning points.  UW won’t forget Jay Valai’s blocked extra point vs. Arizona State, while GB will remember Clay Matthews leading the way on a fourth down stop of Michael Vick in Philadelphia.

SOLID PROGRAMS
Both the Badgers and Packers have had lean years (the 70′s and 80′s) come to mind, but there’s been plenty of prosperity in the last few decades.   I had the good fortune to move to the state in 1991, which means I’ve seen mainly winning football for Wisconsin and Green Bay.

LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE
There are plenty of college campuses and stadiums I still need to check out, but it’s hard to imagine there are a whole lot of places better to be at than Camp Randall Stadium (and the entire isthmus, for that matter) on a fall Saturday.  Likewise, there’s nothing like Lambeau Field around the NFL.  We’ve got it pretty good in this state, no question about it…each stadium is a very nice blend of tradition with modern conveniences. 

STILL IN THE HUNT
Granted, it’s still very. very early, but if the ultimate goal for these teams is a BCS Bowl for the Badgers and a Super Bowl for the Packers, both are still very much attainable.  And if you think that’s not a big deal now, there are plenty of college and NFL programs that are heading straight for “wait ’til next year” territory.   For example, consider the football fortunes to our west, where the 1-2 Gophers and 0-2 Vikings reside.      

CHECK THAT SCHEDULE
Nothing is guaranteed at any level of football, but the Badgers’ biggest obstacles going forward will be at Michigan State, Iowa, and Michigan, along with the home games against Ohio State and Northwestern.   Whether Wisconsin goes to a January bowl or not will depend upon the outcome of those matchups.   The Packers have a stretch interesting stretch of games in October and November, with the two Lions matchups as bookends: at Washington, Miami, Minnesota, at N.Y. Jets, Dallas, at Minnesota, at Atlanta, San Francisco.   When Green Bay’s done with that gauntlet, we’ll really know if the Packers are a playoff team, a Super Bowl contender, both, or neither.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

I had planned to sit in the rec room watching the Packers’ opener at Philadelphia, but a trip outside for additional fence repair (see last season’s blogs about dog escapes from the back yard) convinced me that the Sunday afternoon weather was far too nice to be squandered in front of a TV set.

So, I set the recorder, walked over to the golf course, and tried to avoid any contact with a television set, radio,  or any person who wanted to talk about the game.  Even though I didn’t golf particularly well that afternoon, the nice weather more than made up for it.

That evening, not knowing the outcome of Packers-Eagles, I sat down with dinner in front of the screen, and replayed the game.  Even better, I was able to condense a 3+ hour event into a tidy 1 1/2 hours, skipping through commercials and updates from other games, while watching key plays several times over.

STYLE POINTS OVERRATED
The bottom line: the Packers won a road game against a solid NFL team in a hostile environment in a city in which they hadn’t won since 1962.   Take the win and move on.

PERFECTION NOT NEEDED
Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have to be perfect for the Packers to win.   Rodgers’ numbers vs. the Eagles (19-31, 188, 2 TD, 2 INT ) are not a good start to his MVP candidacy, but there were enough good throws (including a perfect TD toss to Greg Jennings on a drive that was a great answer to a Philadelphia TD).  Chalk it up to the difference between the preseason and regular season, especially the opener, when all teams are playing with a lot of juice.

MATTHEWS, WOODSON NEEDED NOW, NOT THEN
The decisions to rest Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson in the preseason payed huge dividends.   Matthews made a number of plays in which he showed off his speed (running down Kevin Kolb from behind) and toughness (stuffing a Michael Vick QB run on the Eagle’s final drive), while Woodson’s penchant for forcing turnovers at opportune times is unmatched in the NFL.  Philadelphia did outgain Green Bay (320 total yards to 299), but a lot of that had to do with the Packers game-planning for Kolb and not Vick.  

MORE PLAYMAKERS NEEDED
Matthews and Woodson can’t do it all.  Over the next 15 games, other Packers defenders will need to make their presence known.   The d-line was solid most of the way, and B.J. Raji showed why he was a first-round draft pick.  On the back end, Tramon Williams played fairly well, although rookie safety Morgan Burnett looked like a rookie safety.

STILL ELECTRIFYING
As a dog owner, I can still separate my disdain for Vick’s former dog-abusing hobbies from my admiration for his athleticism.   Vick threw for 175 yards and rushed for 103,  and single-handedly gave the Eagles a chance to win this game…something that Kevin Kolb wasn’t going to do.

STILL, HE WAS THE LOSING QB
If there’s still any doubt that ESPN has transformed itself to E! SPN, the network had no postgame sound from the winning team, choosing instead to run a taped interview of Vick conducted by east-coast apologist Sal Paolantonio.

WHO WAS THAT MAN IN THE #87 JERSEY?
The same Jordy Nelson who looked like a liability in the kick return game last season averaged 31.2 yards/kick returns in the opener, including a long of 51.

MUST BE A PAD-LEVEL ISSUE
Overall, the Green Bay offensive line held up well, the highlight being Josh Sitton literally leading John Kuhn on a 12-yard rumble up the middle.   The lowlights were a few plays in which tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher looked like statues.

RULE CHANGE NEEDED?
No, I’m not talking about the end of the Lions-Bears game (but that rule should be changed to something that actually uses common sense).  I’m referring to the tackle on Ryan Grant that led to his ankle injury.  Ironically, the same sort of tackle (a defender swinging his legs into a ball carrier’s legs while also pulling the ballcarrier down by the shoulder pads) sidelined Grant look-alike Dorsey Levens during the 1996 season, also with an ankle ligament tear.   Football is a collision sport, and injuries are a part of the game, but that kind of tackle needs to be outlawed, since a ballcarrier has no way to defend himself in that situation against a serious knee or ankle injury.

ON TARGET
Way back in an April 22 blog entry, I predicted an 11-5 season for the Pack.  Based on what I saw in week one, I’m sticking with that.  But it’s a long season…which means more observations down the road.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

We’re two weeks into the high school football season, with seven more weeks to go before the WIAA playoffs get underway.  There have been some very interesting matchups so far, with plenty more to come.

If you are into high school football, here’s a partial list of some games you’ll want to check out — either in person, or via News 18 Sports:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Chippewa Falls at Eau Claire Memorial
The Old Abes have started out 2-0; a road win at La Crosse Logan , followed by a home win over La Crosse Central.  The Rangers and Red Raiders, incidentally, tied for the title in the Mississippi Valley Conference in ’09.  Could Memorial be a title contender in the BRC this season?  The Abes will get a chance to make a statement on their home turf against a Cardinals team that has been inconsistent offensively in its first two games.  ECM may have a few more explosive players, but it remains to be seen who controls the line of scrimmage.   Assuming the weather is good, you can expect a large and festive crowd at Carson Park.

Colby at Osseo-Fairchild
The Hornets won the regular season matchup last year, with O-F returning the favor in the playoffs.   Grab a piece of pie at the Norske Nook, and then head to Ward Field for what figures to be the deciding game in the Cloverbelt Conference title chase.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 

Mondovi at Elk Mound
Two traditional small-school powers resume their Dunn-St. Croix Conference rivalry.  Last season, the Mounders made a late rally on the road to beat the Buffaloes in a game that helped Elk Mound’s quest for a Dunn-St. Croix title–this time around, preseason DSC favorite Mondovi can take a huge step toward a conference title with a road win.  

Northwestern at Bloomer
The Blackhawks showed a ton of character by rallying on their home field to beat Somerset in week two–can they keep some of that momentum for another huge game in week four?  The good news for Bloomer is that both of these games will be on the ‘Hawks home turf.   They’ll need it against the Tigers, a team that rolled to the Heart O’North title in 2009.  The winner on this night will have the inside track on the 2010 conference championship.
 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Eau Claire North at Eau Claire Memorial
Even though the operative cliche tells us to throw out the record books, it’s worth noting that the “road” team has won in each of the last two matchups.  Will that trend continue?   Energy is up at both programs, which should translate into the largest high school crowd of the season at Carson Park.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1

Regis at Colby
If the Hornets are able to win at Osseo-Fairchild, the Ramblers will be Colby’s final hurdle to clear en route to a Cloverbelt title.   Regis has to be in the conference championship discussion, however, since no one (outside of Edgar) has been able to slow down the Ramblers’ running game in the past couple of seasons. 

Cumberland at Bloomer
The Beavers have some of the best skill players in the Heart O’North, which should mean some fireworks when these two teams meet–but once again in 2010, the Blackhawks have home field advantage for a tough opponent.

Mondovi at Flambeau
A very intriguing non-conference matchup between two solid programs, featuring two of the better individuals in the area: running back Alex Wolf of the Buffaloes, and quarterback Tyler Leonhard of the Falcons.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7

Osseo-Fairchild at Regis
This is the third of three games in the Cloverbelt that will likely decide the conference title.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8

Hudson at Menomonie
The preseason favorites in the Big Rivers collide on the turf at Williams Stadium, as the Indians look to avenge one of their 2009 defeats.

Thorp at Gilman
It’s hard to top a local rivalry game between the two best teams in a conference…the Cardinals-Pirates winner will likely claim the Cloverwood.

Lincoln vs. Blair-Taylor
Are the Hornets a legitimate title contender in the Dairyland?  We’ll know more after a visit to the preseason favorite in the conference.

Northwestern vs. Cumberland
The defending HON champs take their power running game on the road to face a very skilled and talented bunch of Beavers.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9

Marathon at McDonell
The Macks get home field advantage for a chance at avenging one of their 2009 losses in the Marawood.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

Eau Claire Memorial at Menomonie
If both teams come into this game unbeaten, then this has a chance to be the game of the year in the Big Rivers Conference.  It’s probably a bigger “if” for the Old Abes, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.  There’s nothing quite like a packed house at Williams Stadium, a place where the Indians have a ridiculously good home winning percentage.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

Baldwin-Woodville at Somerset
If you’re thinking of attending, you may want to get in line for tickets…now, because a good chunk of St. Croix County residents will be looking to secure seats for this one.   The Spartans have held the upper hand in this rivalry these past two years, but is this the season the Blackhawks breat through and claim the Middle Border Conference title?

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Regis at McDonell
Even though these two long-time rivals play in different football conferences, it’s still a big deal when the Ramblers and Macks get together…especially when these were the two programs to represent the Chippewa Valley at the 2009 WIAA State Football Finals.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21

Menomonie at Chippewa Falls
Typically, this is the game of the year in the Big Rivers, and it could very well decide the conference title.  But, even it if isn’t for the BRC title, these two always seem to play very intense football when they meet.  It’ll be interesting to see how veteran head coaches Joe LaBuda and Chuck Raykovich will approach this one with the WIAA playoffs beginning the following Tuesday.

I’m looking forward to these matchups–and I hope you are, as well.  We’ll see in in the stands, on the sidelines, or on the air.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports